Warmer weather often means more outdoor events, including concerts and even large music festivals. Texas hosts numerous large cultural events in the summer, and those who attend will probably try to enjoy themselves as much as possible. Festival-goers often claim that chemical intoxicants help enhance the musical experience, so their attempts at relaxation and recreation may involve the consumption of mind-altering substances, including alcohol.
There is a reason that music festivals have a strong association with drunk driving arrests and crashes. People who have spent all day or all weekend celebrating and drinking freely often have no choice but to leave the venue while still under the influence. If they do not seek out a designated driver or public transportation, they may then cause crashes or end up arrested on their way back home.
Local police departments are on high alert during and after major events
Having more people from out of town can mean an uptick in criminal activity, as opportunistic individuals may target tourists and those publicly inebriated at outdoor concerts. Those planning festivals and similar events usually communicate their intentions with local law enforcement to coordinate for security purposes. Although Texas does not allow for sobriety checkpoints, police departments may schedule more officers for traffic patrol during such events so that they can catch or at least deter drunk drivers from leaving a festival venue.
When people drink heavily, they can still be legally intoxicated the next morning and could fail a breath test during a traffic stop. Given the likelihood that people may either still be under the influence or at the very least hungover when they head home after a music festival, making arrangements for alternate transportation or carefully checking to ensure sobriety can help people avoid the enhanced risk of a DWI arrest following their attendance of a music festival in Texas.
People may also experience a longer-lasting sense of impairment or greater overall intoxication if they combine alcohol with street drugs. Recreational drug use is arguably as common as alcohol consumption at many music festivals, even though all popular party drugs remain prohibited in Texas. Realizing that police departments will be on high alert when there is a music festival nearby may help prospective attendees who are planning a trip to proactively book transportation home that will allow them to safely assume the role of “passengers” not drivers.